Han Li’s fingers flicked rapidly, sending multicolored incantation seals toward the light barrier. Each time one disappeared, the silver light would flash violently.
After a short while, the light barrier began to boil as if cold water had been poured into hot oil. Countless runes emerged, arranging and rotating in a rhythmic pattern.
Han Li stared unblinkingly at the barrier, his hands never ceasing their incantation gestures.
Suddenly, with a low shout, he flicked his sleeve, releasing dozens of formation flags that shot out and arranged themselves into an intricate formation above the barrier.
The flags hummed faintly, trembling slightly as they emitted various hues of spiritual light.
Han Li let out another low shout and pointed solemnly toward the sky.
With a *pfft* sound, all the flags erupted in radiant light, their glow intertwining to form an extraordinarily complex light array that slowly rotated in midair.
“Go!” Han Li’s eyes flashed with blue light as he tapped the Moonfrost Token once more.
The token trembled and transformed into a streak of gold and silver light, vanishing into a specific point within the light array.
A moment later, an eerie aura emanated from the array, followed by a resonant hum as a gold-and-silver pillar of light shot from its center, striking the silver barrier.
Upon contact, the previously immovable barrier emitted a strange sizzling noise and began melting like snow under spring sunlight.
However, after a short while, the surrounding runes surged toward the point of impact, halting the melting and even gradually thickening the barrier again.
Seeing this, Han Li’s expression shifted from displeasure to delight.
With a sweep of his hand over his storage bracelet, two more gold-and-silver lights flew out, revealing two more ancient tokens—additional Moonfrost Tokens!
One was naturally the token he had secretly withheld earlier, while the other had been retrieved from the belongings of a Rong tribesman he had sealed inside the Magnetic Peak.
Surprisingly, the one who had refined the Moonfrost Token among this group of Rong tribesmen was not their strongest warrior, which had caught Han Li off guard.
After thoroughly looting the storage bracelets of the two Rong tribesmen sealed in the Magnetic Peak, Han Li had incinerated them with his Soul-Devouring Flame.
Now, as soon as the two Moonfrost Tokens were summoned, Han Li flicked them with his fingers, and they too vanished into the light array above the barrier.
The array trembled violently, accompanied by a thunderous roar, and the gold-and-silver pillar of light expanded to three times its original size.
The silver barrier, which had barely held on before, now churned violently under the immense force, its runes boiling before dissolving once more.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a deafening explosion resounded under Han Li’s expectant gaze.
The silver barrier finally shattered, flickering a few times before vanishing completely.
Overjoyed, Han Li formed a hand seal and pointed at the light array in the sky.
With a muffled sound, the array dispersed, reverting to the formation flags and three tokens.
With another flick of his sleeve, a surge of azure mist swept them all away.
Han Li’s gaze then turned to the golden script now clearly visible on the stone wall below. Despite his usual calm demeanor, he couldn’t suppress his excitement.
Some time later, a streak of azure light shot out from the great canyon, circled in the air, and then released a black mountain peak. The peak expanded to the size of a real mountain before crashing down into the canyon.
Several earth-shaking booms followed as the black peak pummeled the canyon, reducing its height by dozens of feet and nearly flattening that section entirely.
The azure light dissipated, revealing Han Li hovering in the air.
He glanced indifferently at the canyon below and casually reached out.
The massive peak shrank rapidly, transforming into a streak of black light that vanished into his sleeve. With another burst of azure radiance, he transformed into a streak of light and soared away.
…
A day later, on an island in a vast lake, an elderly man and a young woman sat cross-legged on a verdant peak, deep in meditation.
Both wore solemn expressions—one enveloped in flickering spiritual light, the other surrounded by swirling white mist.
Suddenly, the woman stirred, and the mist around her dispersed.
At the same time, the old man’s spiritual light dimmed as he opened his eyes. These two were none other than Venerable Xu and Lady Yue.
“Someone’s approaching. Could it be Fellow Daoist Han?” the woman murmured, though she sounded uncertain.
“Perhaps. But Fellow Daoist Han left less than two days ago. Even with his immense power, he shouldn’t have succeeded so quickly—after all, there were over a dozen beings of our level there,” the old man replied skeptically.
“Whoever it is, we’ll know soon enough,” Lady Yue said, flicking her wrist to release a white silk handkerchief. It transformed into a shimmering veil that concealed her form.
The old man nodded, producing a cyan banner with a flip of his hand. With a shake, he too vanished in a flash of light.
The mountaintop was now empty.
Moments later, a streak of azure light appeared on the horizon, speeding toward the island.
After circling once, it landed on the verdant peak. The light faded, revealing Han Li.
His eyes glinted with blue light as he scanned the surroundings, then he smiled.
“Fellow Daoists, I’ve returned with the incantation. Why not show yourselves?”
“It really is Brother Han!”
“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Han!”
Lady Yue and Venerable Xu’s voices rang out almost simultaneously as their figures materialized nearby, their faces alight with joy.
“Brother Han, did you truly retrieve the complete Divine Refinement Art?” the woman asked, her voice trembling slightly with disbelief.
“Indeed. If you doubt me, feel free to examine it yourself.” Han Li chuckled, flicking a green jade slip toward her.
Lady Yue hesitated briefly before catching it, her eyes flickering with uncertainty.
Han Li’s casual delivery of the incantation was unexpected. Venerable Xu, too, seemed taken aback.
Han Li ignored their surprise, maintaining his faint smile.
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony!” Lady Yue steadied herself, scanning the jade slip with her spiritual sense to confirm it bore no hidden traps. Satisfied, she pressed it to her forehead and began scrutinizing its contents.
Her claim of understanding Golden Script seemed genuine.
Over time, her expression shifted—first contemplative, then tinged with delight.
But after a full cup of tea’s worth of time, her face grew solemn, eventually settling into unease.
Venerable Xu stroked his beard, his eyes flickering at her reaction.
With a soft exhale, Lady Yue lowered the jade slip and offered a wry smile to Han Li and the old man.
“Lady Yue, is something amiss? Are the Golden Scripts in the cave not the Divine Refinement Art?” Venerable Xu couldn’t help but ask.
“The incantation is genuine, and it is indeed the Divine Refinement Art. However, upon initial inspection, I’ve found its cultivation requirements exceedingly harsh. For our Spirit Realm, few would be able to practice it. Then again, this technique was likely a secret art of the True Immortal Realm, so its incompatibility makes sense. That said, the jade slip only contains the first half of the incantation. Perhaps the latter half holds some solution.” She glanced meaningfully at Han Li as she spoke.
Venerable Xu’s expression shifted slightly, and he too turned to Han Li.
Han Li’s brow furrowed briefly before he replied calmly, “Indeed, this is only half of the incantation. Once you two teach me the Golden Script, I will hand over the remaining half. How does that sound, Fellow Daoists?”
“Haha, of course! Brother Xu and I already agreed to teach you the script in exchange for the incantation. However, Golden Script is profoundly abstruse and can only be taught orally, so it may take some time,” Venerable Xu laughed heartily.
“Since Brother Han has retrieved the incantation, I will naturally honor our agreement. But this place is too close to the secret cave. Let us find a safer location before teaching you,” Lady Yue added with a charming smile.
“Lady Yue speaks wisely. Let us depart at once.” Han Li nodded in agreement.
After a brief discussion, the three rose into the air as streaks of light, vanishing toward the horizon.
Five days after their departure, a group of over a dozen Rong tribesmen arrived at the distant canyon. Their leader, an elderly man with a human face, gazed down at the nearly flattened gorge, his expression dark as water.
…
By then, Han Li and his companions were already hidden in a small mountain range countless miles away.
Inside a hall carved into the mountain, the three sat cross-legged.
Thanks to his far superior spiritual sense, Han Li mastered the Golden Script in just half a month under their alternating tutelage.
Once confident in his comprehension, he promptly handed over the second half of the Divine Refinement Art.
Venerable Xu and Lady Yue were overjoyed. After making copies for themselves, they bid Han Li farewell and went their separate ways.
With the closure of the Moonfrost Realm imminent, they each sought secluded spots to attempt their breakthroughs.
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